thick timber - how quiet are you?

[Kill-da-wabbit]

I give out a fawn bleat or moose grunt if I make too much noise. I have found movement alerts deer more than noise. If you just sit in the woods, you can hear all kinds of noise, so small cracks and crunches don't alarm the deer. But move when they are looking your way, and it's all over, even if you are perfectly silent.

[Redthies]

Why do we call tracking and moving “still” hunting. You sure as shit are not standing still! Is it because you probably bump so much game, you’ll “still” be hunting on the last day of the season??

[Leaseman]

....because you are still more than moving, or should be if you want to do it properly!

[Walksalot]

I carry binoculars and use them often. Many times, with my binoculars, I have picked out animals I probably would not have seen with my naked eye. In most of the mountainous regions in our areas there are different stands of timber in close proximity and one can go from open areas to thick bush in a very short distance. In very thick timber your shooting distance is such that, unless you are hunting from a stand or blind, a 40 yard shot is a long shot. In thick bush one cannot go too slow. In any hunting situation having a pack and clothing that does not make a sound when rubbed against branches is an absolute necessity.

[Wild one]

....because you are still more than moving, or should be if you want to do it properly!

what this guy says lol

[Would Rather Be Fishing]

Do you find (or believe) that "silent"/"quiet" clothing matters in thicker brush?

[Weatherby Fan]

I find when Im hunting Mule Deer in the thick stuff I move slowly and quietly and stop lots, if not you jump a lot more than you see which you will do anyway, they just see, hear and smell better than humans do so your at a disadvantage before you start hunting in that shit, one thing I have found is at times in the Rut they will hold and wait to see what you are or if you pose a threat,

Either way you have to have lots of patience and accept the fact that in most cases you'll get busted by a crafty old buck more often than not.

The last decent buck I shot in the thick stuff was at 15 yards and he held behind some jack pines until curiosity got the better of him !

Last year in the rut with 6" of fresh snow I snuck up behind a bedded 4pt, he new something was there but never seen or winded me, he slowly got up and walked away, funny thing the 4 doe's he was with walked away and he stayed bedded for a Cpl minutes before following them.

[twoSevenO]

....because you are still more than moving, or should be if you want to do it properly!

X2. Especially for blacktails. Theres time to move, but theres time when you gotta really slow down. Sometimes if I sit down for 30 mins I'll see deer moving slowly just seem to appear out of nowhere.

It is tough to sit still if you are not seeing much. You always have the feeling they're not there and you're missing out by not covering more ground.

This year has been a bit slower than usual. The dry and warm weather seems to have them rutting and moving around mainly at night.

Having said that some nice BTs have already been killed in a few other spots. I've seen some pics of record book BTs only about 15km from one of my spots.

[Wild one]

Do you find (or believe) that "silent"/"quiet" clothing matters in thicker brush?

First thing I do when shopping for hunting clothes is test to see how noisy it is when I rub the fabric together. Metal, plastic, fabric, Velcro, zippers and any none natural sound is bad. The odd twig snap, vegetation/branch hitting together, leaves, and even crunchy snow is not that bad in moderation

I have threatened to burn partners noisy camo a few times

[twoSevenO]

First thing I do when shopping for hunting clothes is test to see how noisy it is when I rub the fabric together. Metal, plastic, fabric, Velcro, zippers and any none natural sound is bad. The odd twig snap, vegetation/branch hitting together, leaves, and even crunchy snow is not that bad in moderation

I have threatened to burn partners noisy camo a few times

I cant stand even the sound of a water bottle sloshing in my pack. And when the woods are deathly silent you hear everything.

It's why I never hike for BTs in a rain jacket. I just bring a change of clothes and swap out. No rain gear is silent enough compared to a fleece shirt.

Also dont just click the buckles on your pack. Hold them in your hand, insert fully, then slowly release. No click!!!

But if I'm hunting the alpine or open country I dont care. I wear whatever I want so i dont really choose my clothes at the store based on how quiet they are. I just get picky about what I take on my blacktail hunts in thick timber close quarter hunts.